Armor check penalty?

[SACROZAINT]

Is it good to have a high or low armor check penalty? I can see heavy armor are very low, like -7, and light armor have -1 or 0. What does all this mean? I have never been so frustrated or confused in a game. Ever. But I want to learn.

[Finrod]

When using stealth, or mobility, Dex based actions, the armor check penalty gives a malus to that action. The heavier the armor, the worse will be your acrobatic checks or stealth check.

[Morgian]

It is not difficult in this case. It says it in the name, it is a penalty, and the heavier the armor, the higher is the penalty. It is applied to many skills, like Athletics or Stealth, making them very hard to perform when armored up.
The penalty does not apply to your combat rolls or saves, only to certain skills. It isn't an extreme penalty, but it pretty much prevents parties from sneaking, as there is always someone in iron, who clanks through the corridors.

For example, if you are a fighter, wearing a breastplate with a penalty of -6, your Stealth skill, which is normally 8 is reduced to 2. Therefore are heavy armors avoided by classes who rely on skills (rogues and bards).

In addition, fighters have class abilities which reduce this penalty, and there are one or two other ways to do so.

[WarShrike]

Any skills that involve movement are penalized by the armor check penalty. Say you want to disarm a trap. You need to roll the DC (difficulty check) of the trap on a d20 + skill in trickery - armor check penalty. So a -7 is alot worse than a -1.

[dodger6118]

The idea is that the heavier and more inflexible the armor the more difficult it is to perform tasks that require finesse, stealth, etc. The Clanky fighter in plate isn't sneaking up on anybody nor is he swimming across a river in armor. If you're running a spell caster or multi-class with a caster stick to your leather armor or robes and make good use of the spell Mage Armor until you can get the special abilities to cast in armor or get the spell "Stone Skin" etc.

[Ventus]

Originally posted by Sanscenti:

Is it good to have a high or low armor check penalty? I can see heavy armor are very low, like -7, and light armor have -1 or 0. What does all this mean? I have never been so frustrated or confused in a game. Ever. But I want to learn.

Lower is better, with 0 being best. Armor check penalty will subtract that number (the armor check pen) from skills that 'loud and hard to wear armor' would affect.

Running, jumping, moving quickly (athletics and mobility) are affected, so people in full plate with a tower shield get a -10 or more to doing that stuff. Thievery and stealth as well.